ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:Periodontal ligament stem cels are one of the ideal seed cels in periodontal tissue regeneration. Sources, biological characteristics and influential factors of periodontal ligament stem cels have been an issue of concern. OBJECTIVE:To review the biological characteristics and functional factors of periodontal ligament stem cels as wel as relevant research status and progress in regenerative medicine, and to discuss the relevant application prospect and existing problems, thereby providing theoretical and experimental basis. METHODS:PubMed and Wanfang databases were searched by the first author for articles related to differentiation and proliferation of periodontal ligament stem cels published from 2002 to 2015. The key words were “periodontal ligament stem cel, periodontal tissue, proliferation, differentiation” in English and Chinese, respectively. Finaly, 47 articles were included in result analysis. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:Periodontal ligament stem cels have the ability of differentiating into fibroblasts, adipocytes, chondrocytes and cementum. Cel growth factors play an important role in the proliferation and differentiation of periodontal ligament stem cels. Fibroblast growth factor, vascular endothelial growth factor and insulin-like growth factor can promote the proliferation of periodontal ligament stem cels. Application of stem cel biofilm as a carrier material can effectively guide periodontal tissue regeneration. Isolation, culture and influential factors of periodontal ligament stem cels should be further improved. Combined application of stem cels, biofilms and growth factors is expected to achieve the desired periodontal tissue regeneration, which is the focus of future research.